


A Relationship with Death

by Okay_Stark



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Character Study, Merchant of Death Tony Stark, Not A Fix-It, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, leads up to infinity war
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-01-12 17:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18451208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okay_Stark/pseuds/Okay_Stark
Summary: Tony’s Stark Relationship with Death began with an understanding that Death was inevitable.





	1. Chapter 1

The first time Death truly sees Tony Stark, Edwin Jarvis is clinging to him. With a hand clutching the young boy's shoulder, his nails unknowingly digging into Tony’s skin, and his heart breaking with every small breath that escaped from his wife’s pale lips. 

Jarvis’s hand kept Tony grounded as he watch Ana Jarvis, his pseudo mother, take her last breath. He could feel Jarvis’s body shutter, and his grip become painfully tighter. 

“It’s okay Jarvis,” Tony said, tears freely falling down his face. He always felt so small compared to everything else in the world, but he never felt so small then in that moment. 

Jarvis had always towered over him in height and in strength. The man stayed silent as he willed himself to stay composed, a strength that Tony didn’t have just yet. “Death is just beginning isn’t it? She’s just ahead of us. She’s always been one step ahead of us anyway, right? It’s okay Jarvis.” 

“I don’t know if it is, Anthony.” Jarvis whispered lost to his surroundings. The noise of the hospital sounding dull to his ears, and the feeling of being lost consumed him by the passing moments. 

Tony fought against Jarvis tight grip until he was able to turn himself around to face the man. A young boy with too big of brown eyes and too many loose dark curls upon his head stared up at the man. Jarvis wondered what he saw. Even though he had willed himself not to, cry he knew what he looked like. He looked like his whole world was falling around him, and it seemed like it was. 

“But you said I know everything,” Tony pleaded fighting off the lump in his throat. He shook the man desperately, “Right?”, Tony tried to gain the mans attention as he shook him back into reality. “You said that I know everything. I know everything don’t I? And if I know everything then I’m not wrong when I say that death isn’t something you should dread. It’s going to be okay because I said so and you’ll see her again because I said so and-” 

“Okay, Okay.” Jarvis said his voice raspy as he spoke. He wrapped the boy tightly in his arms, and rested his head on top of Tony’s curls. 

“I wouldn’t lie to you Jarvis.” Tony mumbled into Jarvis dress shirt, he was sure he was getting tears on it. 

“No you wouldn’t,” Jarvis conceded as silent tears fell down his face. The young boy in his arms refocused Jarvis; a source he never knew he could draw strength from. 

A reassurance that he would see Ana again, and if Jarvis could do anything, he could believe in the boy who kept him from falling. 

A boy so young well versed in Death, willingly coaxing a man to give his wife to her. She couldn’t help but be fascinated by him. Such blind faith in an unknown entity, but if she had only been watching him from the beginning she would’ve know that Tony Stark didn’t things wholeheartedly. He loved, lived, and would tempt death wholeheartedly. 

It’s to be noted that Tony’s Stark Relationship with Death began with an understanding that Death was inevitable.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should of just added this to the last chapter. 
> 
> Tony will always be 17 to me when his parents die

It was inevitable that Tony Stark’s parents would die. 

Death watched as the boy’s new guardian’s hand squeezed the back of his neck possessively, reminding him to present an image of indifference to his parents death. 

Wide range of emotions could be found coming from Tony as he watched them lower his parents caskets into the ground, but only few people knew where to look. Only two of the hundreds gathered could see what Tony was truly feeling. 

James Rhodes approached his friend moving to stand by his right side as Obadiah Stane became distracted by nervous investors in attendance. His father’s suit was ill-fitting and a little too big on his frame a reminder that while he was older than Tony, it wasn’t by much. 

“Tones.” His voice wavered, unsure about whether his presence was welcomed. Tony stood by for a moment, absently reaching for a hand he knew that would find his. Rhodey seized his hand without a second thought to the reporters or anyone around them. 

“I want to be angry,” Tony confessed easily to his only friend. “I want to be.” 

Rhodey squeezed his hand with more reassurance than Obadiah's had. “But this was inevitable wasn’t it,” Tony continued staring at his mother’s casket being lowered next to his father’s, the man who he believed had gotten her killed. “I don’t even care that he’s dead, Rhodey.” 

“I know,” Rhodey replied. “And you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.” 

“I just wish, I wish I had more time with my mother.” Tony mumbled to himself as the dirt began to pile onto Maria Stark’s coffin. Until someone yanked him out of his daze, and Tony looked at the man who’d brought him back to reality. 

Edwin Jarvis flanked to Tony’s left. His hair was now predominantly white since the last time both of them had faced Death, and the crow feet around his eyes had deepened. Jarvis reached into his breast pocket of his pristine suit and retrieved a pair of dark Ray-Bans. Offering them to Tony, he recounted what the boy had told him almost 5 years prior, “Death is just the beginning isn’t it?” 

A sad smile found its way onto Tony’s face as he accepts the sunglasses being handed to him. 

“Yes it is.” Tony agreed placing the glasses onto his face, shielding his eyes from the guest who began to fileout around him. 

Rhodey and Jarvis watched as Tony approached the groundskeeper, and without question the groundskeeper handed Tony the shovel. Obadiah Stane objections fell flat with a sharp look from Jarvis making the man's word become silent on his tongue. 

The few that stayed watched as Anthony Stark bury his parents. Death watched as the casket disappear and Tony’s acceptance grew. There was nothing Anthony Stark could do, Death was apart of life, and his parents were always destined to die. It was just a matter of when she would come for them. 

It was just a matter of time before she came for everyone, and Anthony Stark with no objections gave her his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I both chapters last night, and wow do o suck with grammar. Word phrasing is hard.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When I went to post this I thought, what did I name my past chapters? Oh, just chapter 1 and chapter 2. I was very disappointed.

Tony caught James Rhodes as he fell to his knees on the tile floor of the Funeral Home. The wake of Jeanette Rhodes had yet to start, and the pews lining up to her casket were empty. The whole room was empty, James Rhodes felt empty.

Rhodey fell at the doorway unable to control the heartbroken sobs that emitted out of him. His vision blurred as he blindly grasped for Tony who sprawled himself on the floor with him.

“Come on we have to make it to her, Rhodey.” Tony pleaded as he tried to find proper footing to lift his friend up.

“I can’t Tony,” Rhodey said gasping for air, he felt too weak to stand. His body convulsed as his eyes reached his sister's casket again. The beautiful white stood out in the room, and his sister laid peacefully at rest. Peacefully but not breathing.

“Yes, you can come on,” Tony said as he struggled to drag him to the pew nearest. Rhodey was considerably larger than Tony now and had bulked up heavily after joining the Airforce. Tony hadn’t even had his final growth spurt yet, but he doubted he would ever be as big as Rhodey.

“It should be me.” Rhodey choked out while hot tears streamed down his face. “It should be me lying there. I wish it was m-” With his hands curled into Rhodey’s suit jacket, Tony forcefully slammed his back against the pew. It shocked Rhodey enough to make him inhale a large amount of air and make him sputter.

“Don’t you ever, ever say some shit like that to me again,” Tony growled clenching his fits in Rhodey’s suit jacket. “Do you hear me!” Tony said as he shook Rhodey between every word. “If you were supposed to be in that casket, you would be. If you were supposed to be dead you would be!”

“But you’re not.” Tony softened unable to stop his voice from cracking. He watched Rhodey’s shallow breathing became more controlled. Stray tears continued to fall down Rhodey’s face; still dazed by his sister’s coffin at the other side of the room. “It’s not your fault, James." Tony felt tears escape his eyes, he had never seen Rhodey cry before. Had never seen the man ache for death, had never seen him seem so lifeless yet look so wild.

“It hurts,” Rhodey cried out in agony curling into Tony. Who was practically sitting in his lap trying to keep him from passing out. “My heart hurts, Tones.” He confessed sticking his head into the crook of Tony’s neck, and Tony was quickly becoming wet with his tears.

Tony cuddled Rhodey and found himself grieving for his friend. He knew Rhodey would never be the same, he would carry the guilt of his sister with him forever because that’s just the type of person Rhodey was. Rhodey would always be affected by his sister's death like Jarvis had been with Ana. However, Jarvis didn't break down. Not that there was anything wrong with Rhodey, maybe Jarvis should’ve grieved as Rhodey did.

Tony didn’t know.

He didn't know why Jarvis handled Ana’s death so well, maybe it was because she died of old age. Maybe it was because unlike Rhodey and his sister, Jarvis got to spend a whole lifetime with Ana.

Tony didn’t know.

What he did know was that Rhodey was alive, Jarvis was alive, and maliciously so was he. Tony meant what he told Rhodey, if he was supposed to be dead he would've been. The idea of Rhodey questioning his own existence scared Tony shitless, but Tony knew Rhodey trusted him.

And oddly enough, Tony trusted death.

He could do it for all of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, Tony fucking loves Rhodey. Also, Jarvis did go through shit, but Tony didn't see him cry. That's why Rhodey kinda makes Tony shaken up a bit. He's never witnessed someone become unraveled by death before.


End file.
